BioShock 2
BioShock 2 is scheduled for release on November 3, 2009 in the US and 30 October in Europe and other territories.[http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/142/14240341.html BioShock 2 page on IGN] It has been confirmed that 2K Boston will not be developing the sequel. Instead, 2K Marin will be the developing team. Initially, a spokesperson for 2K Games stated that the subtitle had been dropped "BioShock 2 Gets Name Change, Won't Feature Co-Op," Luke Plunkett, Kotaku, but according to a recent statement by 2K Games, the subtitle has not actually been dropped after all. "BioShock 2 Hasn't Had A Name Change After All," Luke Plunkett, Kotaku"BioShock 2 doesn't drop subtitle," Rob Purchese, Eurogamer After this, however, it was revealed that "Sea of Dreams" is simply the title of the first teaser trailer, and not an actual subtitle for the game."BioShock 2's Subtitle Saga," IGN Staff, IGN Trailer 300px|right The PlayStation 3 version of BioShock contained the first teaser trailer for BioShock 2. Named Sea of Dreams, the cinematic teaser features a woman, presumably a grown up Little Sister, standing on a beach looking out to sea as she holds a small figurine resembling a Big Daddy from the first game. As the camera pans out, pillar-like structures rise from the sand and form what appears to be a city in the foreground, presumably Rapture. Finally, the BioShock 2 logo emerges covered in barnacles. A blue butterfly crawls out of a barnacle in the lower right hand corner of the logo as the subtitle "Sea of Dreams" slowly appears underneath. It is believed that the butterfly is a sign of rebirth, thus indicating that Rapture is reborn. Also, what appears to be the Big Sister bringing up the buildings could mean that the Big Sister could cause Rapture to rise again. Gameplay The game takes place in the 1970's, nearly ten years after the events of the first game. The player will take on the role of the first Big Daddy ever created. Jack, the protagonist of the first game, will not make a reappearance. As the first Big Daddy, the player can kill other Big Daddies and capture the Little Sisters from them. The player has the choice of harvesting the Little Sisters or adopting them. When adopting the Little Sister, you will follow the Little Sister around and make sure that the splicers don't harm her. Also, when the Big Sister is nearby, the Little Sister will start singing in a worried tone. On April 10, 2009 Gametrailers.com posted a video showing the first gameplay footage of BioShock 2. See below: 47806 New Gameplay Mechanics The April 2009 issue of GameInformer magazine (see below) presents several gameplay mechanics that will be used in BioShock 2. Some are changes to pre-existing mechanics, while others are completely new. These are: * Ability to wield plasmids and weapons simultaneously. * Upgraded plasmids change more than before. For example, Incinerate! becomes a fireball (level 2) and then a jet of flame (level 3). * Ability to combine plasmids and weapons. For example, using Incinerate! and Cyclone Trap to create a Fire Cyclone for extra damage. * Ability to use Big Daddy weapons such as the Drill and Rivet Gun. The drill is apparently the equivalent of the wrench but with an overheat meter, while the rivet gun is analogous to the shotgun, with several different ammo types. ** Also able to use other Big Daddy abilities, such as the Bouncer shoulder dash attack. * Big Daddy helmet acts as a flashlight, providing visibility in dark areas. * Ability to "Harvest" or "Adopt" Little Sisters, if adopted they harvest ADAM and give some to you, but you must protect them. * Ability to walk outside of Rapture to progress from level to level or to explore. * Improved "player awareness," for example, the ability to look down and see your feet. * Ability to keep hacked security bots with you as you progress. You will be able to heal them and upgrade them, making hacking a more rewarding and longer-lasting tactic than before. *The Game will feature flashback missions depicting how your character became a Big Daddy."As you proceed through a modern day rapture and jog your amnesia-stricken memory you'll experence playable scenarios set in Raptures earlier days allowing you to directly experence the cities past from a new prospective."Gamepro Magazine June Edition Page 58. * Multiplayer: Multiplayer will see players act as plasmid test subjects BEFORE the fall of Rapture in familiar locations including Kashmir Restaurant and Mercury Suites. The experience system will feed into weapon, plasmid and tonic unlocks.Gamepro Magazine June Edition Page 60. You play as one of eight selectable splicers each with humorous dark dialouge that plays off their history.Gamepro Magazine June Edition Page 62. However they are customizableGamepro Magazine June Edition Page 62. As you level up and become more powerful your character begins to degrade and mutate into a more traditional splicer.Gamepro Magazine June Edition Page 62. So far only two have been revealed: Jacob, a former welder turned Adam addictGamepro Magazine June Edition Page 61. and Barbara, a home maker who turned to ADAM to protect her family from the growing civil war.Gamepro Magazine June Edition Page 63. In addition between matches the player characters can visit their apartments and exploreGamepro Magazine June Edition Page 62.. During matches Player Splices can find Armor and become Rosie Big DaddiesGamepro Magazine June Edition Page 61. It is known that when an adopted little sister is harvesting ADAM from a corpse, the player has to protect her from the hordes of splicers that will come from everywhere to attack her reminiscent to the first Bioshock's escort mission. In an interview with 2K Marin's creative director Jordan Thomas from Gametrailers TV, it shows Thomas saying that the Little Sister will not die from the splicers, but instead there is a duration of how long it takes for the Little Sister to extract ADAM shown by a horizontal gauge, that slowly fills up on the left side of the screen in the exclusive debut from gametrailers.com. What the splicers do is interrupt the little sister from extracting ADAM, pausing the gauge from filling up. It is the player's duty to stop the splicers from preventing the gauge to fill up. Thomas has stated that as long as the gauge doesn't fill up, the splicers don't stop coming. The interview can be viewed here. Multiplayer Not much is known about the multiplayer aspect of Bioshock 2, other than the fact that players will take on the role of plasmid test subjects for Sinclair Solutionshttp://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3174128. According to PC Gamer, multiplayer mode takes place in 1959, a year before the events of the first game http://www.lvl2gamer.com/2723/exclusive-bioshock-2-multiplayer-screens-details/. There will be "story elements" and new plasmids that can only used in this mode. Some levels will be set in partly recognizable areas from the first game. Players will have to unlock experience points to unlock new weapons, tonics and plasmids to customize characters. Other features to be found in this mode are: -Play as an original Big Daddy or kill him (he will act as a power-up) -Collect Adam to level up and reveal more story -Power up plasmids for more powerful attacks (fire, ice and electricity) -Game Modes are: Free-For-All, Team Death Match and an undisclosed 3rd mode -Use 3 load-outs to switch weapons during re-spawns -Personalized character -10 player matches -Pre-game menu is a 3D modeled apartment New plasmids Aero Dash - This plasmid will act as a boost and allow players to cover greater distances faster or stun an opponent by pushing them into the wall, then killing them with a melee attack. Geyser Trap - Another plasmid and an evolution of the original version, ot allows players to use the ’shooting stream of water’ as a ‘mobile jump pad’ and combine it with electricty for an electrical trap. It must be noted that Sinclair was mentioned by Dr. Suchong in the first game, he/she was trying to explain the concept of The Vita Chamber to him. Story Not much information about the plot has been released, but the April 2009 edition of Game Informer magazine gives several clues about the new story in BioShock 2. Set 10 years after the first game, the plot centers around the Big Sister, a mysterious figure who was rescued as a little sister but returned to Rapture to set things right. She is now the ruler of Rapture, keeping the city running and destroying anyone who threatens its stability. She "lives in the city's ecology, actively maintains the infrastructure, and viciously hunts down anyone who disrupts the balance of power." The player will take on the role of the first Big Daddy ever created, meaning that you have all the abilities, weapons and strengths of a regular Big Daddy while maintaining your sanity and free will. Unlike regular big daddies, you will also be able to use plasmids and other tonics. Your relationship with the Big Sister is somewhat confused at this point, as in one part in the article you are said to be "pursuing the Big Sister through the halls of Rapture," while on another page it is mentioned that "even with the Big Sister pursuing you through the remnants of the city, you may be tempted to move slowly to make sure no clue goes undiscovered." As the "renegade Big Daddy," it is as yet unknown whether you will be the hunter or the hunted. The storyline of this game will work with either the "good" or the "bad" ending of the first game. If Jack killed all of the Little Sisters, it is said that Tenenbaum escaped with all the others, with the same effect as if Jack rescued all of the sisters. With no little sisters, Rapture began to fall apart because there was no ADAM left to satisfy the Splicers' addiction. However, the city eventually stabilized itself and a new balance emerged. "It's been 10 years, and its feels like it's found this kind of equilibrium. The ecology is working in this cycle, whereas before, you got the idea that in 6 months there was going to be nobody left," says lead artist Hogarth Delaplante. The arrival of the Big Sister served to maintain this stability, as she bent the city to her will over the 7 years, however it has been revealed in the promo for the upcoming GamePro issue that the Big Sister will not be the main villian in the game. The multiplayer part of this game will focus on a prequel experience, pitting player against player as plasmid test subjects BEFORE the fall of Rapture. Locations BioShock 2 will feature many new environments and locations, as well as old areas viewed from a new perspective (that is, from the exterior of the city). Rumors abound regarding underwater levels and flooded buildings, but so far only two locations have been confirmed. More information will be added as it comes to light. Fontaine Futuristics (level) ] Mentioned many times in the first game, the headquarters of Fontaine's business empire will be a full level in BioShock 2. It is the first level to have been announced, and the only level featured in the [http://allgamesbeta.net/2009/03/16/bioshock-2-game-informer/ April 2009 edition of Game Informer magazine.] This is the location of the Fontaine Futuristics company, confirmed to contain: * Machines where ADAM is extracted from Little Sisters. * Plasmid and tonic production facilities. This area also presumably contains the ADAM research facilities where Dr. Tenenbaum and Yi Suchong worked before they were hired by Ryan as mentioned by various audio diaries in the first game. The Big Sister is said to have restarted the machinery and equipment in this area in order to provide ADAM and plasmids to the remaining citizens of Rapture. Somethinginthesea.com A viral website called "There's Something in the Sea" was released on March 4th, 2009, giving hints and clues about BioShock 2. Day One A kidnapping of a little girl in Liscannor, County Clare, Ireland, is reported in the local newspaper dated February 20, 1967. The kidnapper is reported to have "incredible speed," "wore some kind of red light" and "wears a miner's helmet." There is also a description of a strange "toy" found on the beach. The description matches the Big Daddy toy seen in the trailer. Day Two Jeremiah Lynch is reported to have taken photographs of mysterious footprints on Lehnich Beach on February 17, 1967. Lynch says the product "may be of a culture entirely separate from those we know." He is regarded as an eccentric and has also previously told the local authorities of "mysterious crimson lights" under the surface of Liscannor Bay. A photograph of the footprints is enclosed, together with a ribbon and a score down the sand. An average man's shoe is placed beside it for comparison. A letter from Jeremiah Lynch is also enclosed to an unnamed person, dated February 9, 1967. Day Three On March 15, 1967, it was mentioned that a sighting of a 'red underwater flare' occurred in Felixstowe Harbor in Suffolk, England, by a ship bound for New York. This was quickly reported with a general SOS; the National Guard believed the sighting to be a hoax, with no wreckage discovered or ships reported missing and sonar could not find anything resembling a submersible vehicle in the area. A child, Mary Elizabeth Sarsfield, was also kidnapped that night at 2:30 A.M. by an unknown assailant. The unknown commentator deduces that 'whatever it is...it's taking our children (crossed out and replaced with 'daughters').' The mention of glass-cutting tools seems to have been implemented by the kidnapper. On February 22, 1967, Ulrike Moeller was stolen from her parents in St. Cloud, France, wherein French authorities promised to work with West Germany to uncover the abductor. The commentator deduces that everything is connected and notices that all of the little girls are physically similar to one another, with the question of "WHY?" written in the margin of a newspaper clipping. Day Four 4/4/67 6 year old Chantal Dumas is kidnapped from her orphanage in West Flanders. The kidnapper is described as a "skinny monster with a single red glowing eye." who exited with the child through a third story building. The unknown commentator deduces that all the girls are of a similar age. 4/11/67: A newspaper reports that Camillie Dumas, aged 6 is kidnapped in La Rocchelle, France. She was in bed when the au pair walked out for a cigarette and came back to find the child missing. The unknown commentator has pinned a note which says "Camille Dumas disappeared same night as the red lights in La Rochelle harbour." 4/11/67 a newspaper reports that mysterious red lights in the harbour causes a newly wed couple to alert the authorities, who accuse them of being drunk and influenced by the reports in England and Belgium. A something in the sea poster is enclosed as well as a Missing Poster for Camille Dumas. The commentator has noted that she wore a pink nightgown at the time of the kidnap. Day Five First, a familiar red string appears, similar to the "Would you kindly" board outside Ryan's office. Ghost lights near Cadiz spotted as fast as a speedboat on the shore line, dated 5/23/67 and "Red Glow" is circled. Small crumpled note "doesn't anyone notice the patterns." "Patterns" is circled in red. Article dated 5/5/1967 - Boatman dodged ghost sub, the sub rocked his boat as it passed it the Douro river. The boat is a rabelo boat. Note states that it is not a sub, due to the fact the red light is on in and out of the water. Makes a note that it is something in the water repeated twice. Missing girl La Boca Spain dated 4/24/67. Elena Rodrigues missing after a break in at age 6. 4/23/1967 Red Glow alarms Spanish fisherman. Red glow seen moving toward town and boot prints spotted. Day Six 6/14/67 A snippet of a newspaper reports that a "mysterious red light" circled the Golden Queen, a cruise ship. "Moving West" is written down in black ink. - The US Coast guard sights a "fast-moving red light" under the surface near the Virgin Islands. "Time lull - where did it go? Where is H.Q?" and "It's headed toward U.S" is written in blue ink. - Jennifer Walker aged 5 is taken from her holiday bungalow in Puerto Rico. 6/17/67 A "Mark Meltzer" receives a letter from the Philadelphia Observer dismissing his findings on the red lights and kidnappings as "sensation" and advises him to seek professional help. A note on "patterns" is also enclosed. Day Seven A newspaper article reports the spread of the "mysterious red light" to areas around Florida, with speculation that it may originate from an enemy submarine. A witness tells of a track of footprints that resemble heavily clad military boots, this description is underlined with "PICTURES!!!!" and "do they match Ireland?" added by the commentator. A further witness of the red light suspects soviets from Cuba are behind it, however part of the quote is struck through with the addition of "WRONG WRONG WRONG". A second article mentions three kidnappings that have occurred within one week. The first half of the story reports that police from three cities are working together as each kidnapping incident was similar. The words "female victims aged five to seven during a seven day period." have been underlined and "It's getting Bolder" added. The second part of the article says that the victims' parents each reported a break-in after midnight, usually through a window with the glass being cut with precision. 7/14/67 A police report of a further break-in and kidnapping of Melinda Jelenski, in which the mother of the victim describes the assailant as having a red light possibly attached to its head, she goes on to say that the kidnapper was tall limber and athletic. Another section of the report places the kidnappers height at 6'10", this is circled and "How tall is it???" is scrawled next to the height. The description also mentions that "Jelenski glimpsed pointed weapon or tool, poss. resembling 'sword.'" (sic) Day Eight The front page of a tabloid newspaper has the headline "Sea creature stealing children on the New Jersey coast - Red lights seen during abductions". This is accompanied by a somewhat blurred black and white snapshot of the assailant, it shows part of the figure possibly wearing a helmet matching the 'Big Sister' picture found on the front cover of Game Informer magazine (April '09). The annotator notes that only 'kooks' will believe this story now it has been reported in a tabloid. 7/25/67 A letter addressed to Mark Meltzer from the House of Representatives thanks him for information relating to the mystery submarines, but dismisses the evidence, drawing the conclusion that the lights are in fact the same UFO's which are under investigation by the Air Force. The annotator in turn dismisses the letters claims as "Unrelated!!!" and "...nothing to do with flying saucers". Mr. Meltzer is also told that his information has been relayed to both ONI and the Air Force, with the addition that he should contact the FBI about the kidnapping incidents. A piece of paper with torn out kidnapping and red light headlines stuck to it with the relevant dates is also present. The bottom of the paper has the comment "It's moving faster now... I can barely keep up!" written on it. Day Nine Documentation from the ONI is pinned on the map consisting of released 'Top Secret' information meant for the commentators eyes only. It contains a list of sightings and abductions, indicating a possible 34 incidents altogether. One of the documents entitled "abstract" mentions a "possible connection to no-go zone at----long dismissed as a conspiracy theory-----disappearance of business magnate Andrew Ryan------" certain words have been blanked out, but it seems to indicate that Andrew Ryan managed to secure the area around Rapture as a no-go zone before creation of Rapture. 8/14/67 A letter from a father whose child has gone missing is also enclosed, asking the commentator for help finding his daughter. Day Ten 9/28/67 A single letter addressed to Roscoe Inman of ONI from our commentator Mark Meltzer. The letter praises Inman for his patience, as those with higher authority have been blocking his reports. Enclosed with his letter, Meltzer has added recent information on their "traveler"; information on sightings and kidnappings. Meltzer anticipates that the next place to be hit will be St. John in New Brunswick and intends to go to keep watch in the area. He ends the letter saying that his stake out is "Probably a waste of time, but I'm frustrated with inaction. I can't sleep anymore. I lie wake, haunted by the watchful eyes of those poor lost girls... waiting for us to find them." 10/1/67 A note indicates Mark waited for 3 nights before taking pictures of red lights in the harbour and then the Big Sister. He also believes that the Big Sister may have seen and possibly followed him. The site updates to Mark Meltzer's study. The map of disappearances is on the wall, and there are many documents strewn on the floor. Day One On the desk are two X-Rays they show Mark has broken ribs and a broken leg. Both are dated 04-25-1968 and made in an New York Hospital. On the filling cabinet is a bottle of cohydrone pills to be taken 3 times daily for pain and there are a pair of crutches on the other side of the room. On the desk there is a Mother's day card that never got sent. Mark has written the following: "Amanda, You were right... it might be my fault that she's gone. But I never gave up on her. You lost hope. And if we both lose hope... we lose her forever. With love(still) Mark." The card is dated 5-12-1968. There is also a picture of Amanda and his daughter on the desk, written on it is "Amanda and my little darling. Family photo, spring '67." A divorce letter is found on the right side of the room, dated April 29, 1968 and delivered May 20, 1968. Amanda is divorcing Mark because he "through both deed and neglect, did recklessly endanger the safety and well-being of his spouse and family." Day Two Three pictures have appear in the middle of the room, the top one shows his daughter on a horse, the note written on the back says "Riding near grandma's, my brave little girl... last picture” dated 10-21-67. The one on the left shows his daughter and Amanda around a birthday cake, having a birthday party. The message scrawled on the back says "3rd b'day. Growing faster than a bad weed!” dated 8-25-64. The picture on the right shows his daughter on the beach getting ready to dig a sandcastle. writings: "My daughter the architect, getting ready to build the castle!" dated 7-4-63. There is a message from Phil (NUFOS) on his answering machine, he is wondering if everything is ok as he hasn’t heard from Mark for some time and asks Mark to contact him. Finally there is now a letter in his mail slot. It says "Phil: Thanks for the books but please don’t send any more big pkgs to the P.O. box. Cards and letters only. My leg is broken and it’s a drag to haul stuff home. Call you back soon - Meltzer.” Day Three Three photos have appeared on the right hand side of the room, the top one shows Mark's daughter as a baby. Written on the back is "Dec. '61 Amanda's smile - my hairline! The picture on the left shows his daughter with her thumbs up in a room, possibly the study shown on the website. The note on the back says "My little helper" (hands off the books!) '65 spring.” The picture on the right shows his daughter buried in the sand up to her neck. The back says "Peace at last! Labor Day - Montaur '65” Finally there is a new message on the answering machine: "Meltzer, Inman here, just found out about your accident - call me ASAP and give me the brief. I'm hoping you've got some kind of assessment of what we're up against. And *sigh* if you found any leads regarding your daughters whereabouts let me know if there's anything I can do on this end. Still monitoring intel, but it's dead quiet, we got zero for weeks now." Day Four There is no message on the answering machine. 3 new documents appear on the wall. The first is a letter to Lynch telling him to send all new information to Mark's new address*. Lynch has apparently been sending him news related to Atlantis/Lemuria. The second is a newspaper clipping detailing the kidnapping of Cindy A Meltzer, Mark and Amanda's daughter, dated 5-27-1967. Finally, the third is a sketch of the Big Sister, the cause of Mark's broken leg and ribs. It is hinted that the Big Sister may have let him live. This incident appears to have happened a while after Cindy got kidnapped. On the floor is a crumpled letter to Roscoe, never sent, giving further details of his daughter's kidnapping. It states "I can't do this anymore. Going to send you all my data. Maybe you can pick up where I left off." The letter is dated 11-23-1967. On the left hand side of the room is a document stating that Meltzer has had a complete psychiatric examination and has been discharged from Tollevue hospital. It is dated 3-6-68. *The address is apparently important and fans can send letters to Mark. Day Five A new message is heard on the answering machine: Hey Meltzer, remember me? Dectective Benny Stango. Y’know, the guy who's looking for ya daughter? Hear d you got yourself banged up pretty good, crawling around the docks at 3 in the morning. Hey, I’m sure you’ve got some perfectly reasonable explanation-creature from the black lagoon swimming in the Hudson. Well, gimme a call and let me know what happened. Who knows, I might even believe ya. Friggin’ nutbag. There is also a new letter to Roscoe in front of the typewriter. After being detained at Tollevue, Mark went searching for the Big Sister, and found her near the Hudson river, where he managed to catch her with a net. The Big Sister escaped by slicing through the net and scratched Mark's neck, before snapping his ribs. He says he was saved by the a cab driver who took a wrong turn, the headlights scared her off. The Big Sister may also have stolen his wallet, or a passer by. Day Six The office has been cleaned up; there are now no papers on the floor, and all the clippings and pictures have been re-attached to the map. A new message is heard on the answering machine. It from Benny Stango: Hey Meltzer old buddy, it’s Benny Stango. I’m startin’ to get worried about ya. Neighbours are telling me they saw some kind of red light flashing around your place the other night. Ya don’t know anything about that, do ya? Gimme a call. At the station. TODAY. A mysterious box covered in symbols also appears. There is a puzzle on how to open it. There is also a letter on the bottom right of the telephone table by Mark saying. "She was here? how did she find me? Why no attack? What is this thing? weapon? Improvised bomb? What do all these symbols mean?" The code to open the box and the meaning of the symbols can be found at: http://forums.2kgames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=447948&postcount=27 The box contains child pictures of the big sister and little sister, as well as other bits and bobs related to rapture such as masks the splicers wear. Day Eight Roscoe leaves the following message on Meltzer's answering machine: Meltzer, this is Roscoe Inman. I received your message, but I’m in the field on an ONI assignment and I haven’t been able to access a private line before now. Look, I think you should take all this with a grain of salt. Remember your story’s been in the newspaper. This recent contact may not even be connected to the abductions. It could be some cruel trick or someone attempting to manipulate you. To what ends I won’t conjecture. Anyway, take it under advisement, I have to go. There is a mysterious glow behind the stack of books to the left of Meltzer's filing cabinet. Seems to be a window or some opening since the color of the light is the same as what is viewed outside of his door's windows. The aforementioned box is also somewhat close to the light, maybe within arm's reach even. Day Nine Phil leaves a message on the answering machine. Meltzer, Phil Isadore here from the national ufo society, I wanted to get back to you right away and no no I’m not aware of any of any languages or codes associated with any aquatic or ariel sighting; of course I’m not really sure why you’re asking. Oh but, I just got back from a big conference and I’ve got some exiting new information to share with you. I’ve heard about this story before but well, until I read it myself, I didn’t realised just how much it could tie in with all the phenomena we’ve been discussing. I’ve mailed it to your PO Box and when you get it, well you know just kind of ignore the source, sometimes with this material people have to reveal the information anyway they can. So take a look, we’ll chat soon. On the table by the door there are two new items, a letter and a newspaper cutting. The newspaper cutting is a story about a wrecked, futuristic city. A man is wielding a ‘cold, iron aluminium bat’. He is in a plaza of steel arches and deserted stores, when he sees something ‘almost the same size and shape as a chipmunk with wide, vacant eyes.’ A ‘Juicer’ leaps from a shattered window and is described as having ‘angular arms and spindly legs, with chalky, sunken cheeks’. It approaches the chipmunk when it screams. Then a ‘Patri-Arhk’ a large robot in ‘dull grey armour, with a steel forged skull’ with a drill on its right arm. The chipmunk and the Patri-Arhk leave and the narrator leaves his hiding place to look at the Juicer who had once been his friend and stares around at the city and remembers when he first arrived of the ‘promise of a man-made paradise. And that promise had been betrayed.’ It was written by R. Killian Quain. The second item is a letter from Phil explaining the story, R. Killian Quain is a science fiction writer who ‘showed up from nowhere came with an elaborate, wholly formed mythology involving submerged cities, robotic warriors and other – wild stuff!’ The editor of ‘Visionary Wonder Stories’, Lex Harlen’ turned up at various nufos meeting and implied that the stories were ‘factual reports of channelled versions’. The last paragraph of the letter says that Quain showed up from nowhere and that he vanished into thin air, rumours are that he went ‘spectacularly mad’, but no-one actually knows what happened. It ends with ‘I’m sure you will notice some peculiar parallels to the phenomenon we’ve encountered!’ Mark has made several annotations, once again questioning the sanity of the nufos and saying that he cannot be bothered to read the story. Game Informer Magazine The April 2009 issue of Game Informer Magazine features a picture of a Little Sister and the Big Sister on the cover. It features a 10-page spread with exclusive info and art on BioShock 2. The main antagonist of the game is the Big Sister and she constantly pursues the player through Rapture. According to the article, the player will take on the role of a Big Daddy with the ability to adopt a Little Sister to follow the player around and warn when the Big Sister approaches. PC Gamer Magazine (please insert info if you have the bioshock 2 issue of PC Gamer Magazine illustrated on the cult of rapture website) GameTrailers TV Episode 208 The April 9, 2009 episode of Gametrailers TV gave fans their first glimpse at the gameplay of BioShock 2. The roughly two minute long clip is broken up into two segments: # The player is seen wielding the Drill and the Telekinesis plasmid, walking through a dark and badly damaged hallway. The player turns right up a flight of stairs past a Big Daddy corpse and sees the Big Sister standing in a room with "We will be reborn in the cold womb of the ocean" scrawled on the wall. This scene also appeared in Game informer magazine. The Big Sister runs back across the room at high speed and disappears, triggering a Tenenbaum radio message: "What was that? Was it her? (Urgently) Follow her!" The player moves into a darker room, and his "flashlight" turns on (automatically?) As the player looks around the room (which resembles a restaurant), agonized screaming is heard. The player walks down a flight of stairs drenched in blood, and sees the Big Sister who seems to be draining blood from a splicer with her needle. Upon seeing the player, the Big Sister drops the dead splicer and runs quickly across the room, jumping onto a pillar. The player follows, and enters a partially flooded room with two statues and a massive window dominating the far wall where the Big Sister is. As the player approaches, the Big Sister runs across the window, cutting it in several places before disappearing. Water begins shooting into the room as the player backs away. He turns back to look at the window as it explodes inwards, completely flooding the room in a tidal wave of debris and water. Then the player is caught in the wave, and goes under. When the player regains control he has no drill and is outside the city (underwater), looking back in through the shattered window. The Big Sister is nowhere to be seen. The player walks through the debris for a few seconds, then the video fades to the next scene. # A Little Sister is seen in front of the player, harvesting ADAM from a corpse. The player, wielding the Rivet Gun and Incinerate, is defending her from multiple splicers. Once again, this scene was also featured in GameInformer, and the level is obviously Fontaine Futuristics. This scene tends to be lighter and drier than the first. Using incinerate and the rivet gun, the player makes short work of the splicers, who seem to be far more deformed than before. The rivet gun seems to usually be a one shot kill. The player then switches to the drill and scores another one shot kill on a splicer who is attacking the little sister. Multiple cyclone-fire traps can be seen around the room, setting fire to any splicer who gets close. After the player finishes off the last splicer, the surrounding lights in what seems to be the entrance of Fontaine Futuristics began to vibrate. The little sister, frightened, then said " Mr B.....Mr B, Big sister doesn't want you playing with me......" Systematically, the player hears a "roar" in the dark room. A Big sister then appears, scans the room over a ledge in front of the player. She jumps onto the statue, shaped like a ball. Pumped with adam, she uses her telekinesis to lift numerous furnitures and then throws at the player with great force.Stumbling back, the player loses control of his character as the big sister jumps high up in the air , landing on him and finally sticks her adam-draining needle into him. The "Bioshock 2" logo then appears later on. (To see the video yourself, please refer to youtube and type " BioShock 2 Hunting the Big Sister Developer Walk-Through" in the search engine. [[Video:Bioshock 2 Gameplay Video HD|thumb|332px|right|First look at BioShock 2.]] While watching the video, several interesting things can be noted: * Most, if not all of the pictures featured in GameInformer Magazine seem to be screenshots from these two videos * The health/eve bars look the same as in the first game, now with a plasmid readout below * The radio looks and sounds the same, as does Tenenbaum's picture on it * The water looks even better than the first game, and the underwater section looks particularly amazing, with great floating particle and object animations * The drill and rivet gun seem to be very powerful, both scoring one shot kills against Splicers (though they may have been upgraded in the video). * Two types of Rivet ammo, the standard "rivet" and the "magnum" rivet (antipersonnel) are used * However, the sounds for the drill and rivet gun are different from the first game, possibly due to the unfinished nature of the game. * In addition, unscripted sound effects such as splicers' screaming and flame sound effects are not audible in these clips, again most likely because the game is not finished The gameplay footage can be found on the Spike TV website * Flash HD version here * Quicktime HD version here * Windows Media HD version here Extra Information The teaser is now available for download in HD from the official 2K Games website. It is also on the Xbox Live Video Martetplace. For more information on BioShock 2, visit these sites: *Kotaku *[http://gameinformer.com/NR/rdonlyres/BBD90755-D289-429A-9B4C-A4322FB44313/17881/gi_bioshock2.jpg Game Informer Cover] *[http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/bioshock-2-multiplayer-unveiled Eurogamer Multiplayer unveiled] * For more BioShock 2 related videos, go to GameSpot.com. BioShock 2 wallpapers and icons (first added April 21, 2009) can be found at the Cult of Rapture's Download Page. PCGamer magazine will also cover the multiplayer modes for BioShock 2 in its next issue. May 13th, 2009, IGN released a video named "Hunting the Big Sister" (Although the webpage was named as if the video had been quick-ripped) This is, seemingly, the second official video from 2k (instead of second-hand sources such as GameTrailers composition of footage) The video can be found here. Category:Games